Psalms for the Spirit

Today’s guest is Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister, speaker, writer, and as she calls herself “slinger of hopeful stories about faith and church.” Mihee has been a public figure for some time now - her writing and commentary can be found in the New York Times , TIME Magazine, BBC World Service, USA Today, Huffington Post, Christian Century, On Being, and more (see her bio for the full list)....

These ancient words of lament, combined with a haunting medieval traditional Irish melody, express the human longing to see God’s face in times of sorrow. The original tune ‘The Lament of the Three Marys/Coaineadh na dTrí Muire’ depicts the three Marys’ cries of sorrow at the tomb of Jesus - a moving complement to this prayer expressing sorrow and abandonment, and the yearning for signs of hope. G...

A Psalm of praise to the Creator of the wonders of nature, this Psalm also contains a call to action - that in our status “underneath the angels,” we need to take responsibility for caring for creation. Set to the Irish tune ‘Far, Far Beyond the Mountain,’ and through the slightly ominous tones of the arrangement,  we hear anew the sobering reminder to show respect and dignity to the world we live...

The very first Psalm, set to the tune ‘Bán Chnoic Éirann Ó,’ speaks of following the “law” of God – and so we remember the greatest commandment: to love God, neighbor and self. When we grow in connection to this love, we can flourish and thrive like trees planted by streams of water. In times of weariness and anxiety, grief and loss, anger at injustice, longing for peace, we can plant ourselves in...

Hello Friends, I just wanted to send out a little video to let you know more about the Habits for the Spirit course that’s starting up this week. So many of us fit into the cliché of getting all ramped up at the beginning of the New Year, only to feel deflated soon afterwards. Believe me, I fall into that category too, which is why I felt drawn to offer this course. Here are 3 things I’ll be focus...

A Psalm for Christmas Eve: Sing to the Lord (Psalms 98, 99 and 100). View the Celtic Psalms Facebook page for clips of Advent Psalms to raise funds for our nonprofit, Celtic Pilgrims . Click here for our mashup of Sing to the Lord with the Wexford Carol. Read a winter reflection on my spirituality newsletter, Bless My Feet. I’m offering a new online course beginning in January: Habits for the Spir...

This Advent, I’ll be sharing four Psalms for the season leading up to Christmas. We may not think of Psalms during Advent, but they have been part of Advent liturgies for generations. Today’s Psalm is Psalm 85: Love and Mercy . Pick up a free printable journal when you become a paid subscriber, or order a paperback version copy here . For a deeper exploration of this Psalm, listen to Ep. 11 with P...

This Advent, I’ll be sharing four Psalms for the season leading up to Christmas. We may not think of Psalms during Advent, but they have been part of Advent liturgies for generations. Read a winter reflection on my spirituality newsletter, Bless My Feet. I’m announcing a new online course beginning in January: Habits for the Spirit - a way for us to stay rooted, nourished, and inspired in 2025. Th...

This song evokes praise with all our heart, soul and body ~ with all of creation, with all instruments, with all aspects of who we are. Indeed, praise includes what brings us pleasure, joy and delight ~ something we don’t often sing about in hymns, and yet which are such an important aspect of living as fully and vibrantly as God intends. Set to the Scottish tune with Irish words, this paraphrase...

In this Psalm, all creation praises the God who heals the broken-hearted. It is combined here with the words from the Doxology and the rousing melody ‘Mo Ghile Mear.’ A song of joy at the outpouring of God’s blessings, this Psalm also tends to the outcasts, the forgotten, those longing for peace in home and hearth ~ that all creation will sing when such blessings are extended to all people. You ca...

This joyful song praises the true ruler of the earth: a God of justice and compassion who stands with the vulnerable of this world. Set to ‘Here’s a Health,’ it is a jubilant song of praise, but one that recounts various forms of suffering ~ oppressive power, poverty, false imprisonment, injustice, bereavement, refugees ~ and continually places hope in the goodness and mercy of the one who will ul...

This is a Psalm about the transformation from a call to battle into a prayer for peace, and is set to ‘The King’s Shilling’ by the Scottish musician Ian Sinclair. The desire for peace is hard won, after facing the realities of war. In the same way, our prayers for people also become more fervent when we encounter the dreadful realities of war, and our hearts are softened as we utter our prayer of...

Combined with the lyrical air, ‘The Banks of Claudy,’ this beautiful Psalm professes faith in a God who knits us together and knows us intimately. Whether we like it or not, God knows our every thought and movement, but this Psalm continually reminds us that God’s constant presence is one that is loving and accepting of who we are at our best and our worst moments, and that God will continue to le...

Set during the Babylonian exile, this Psalm mourns what was left behind in the homeland. The refrain, inspired by the traditional song ‘The Emigrant’s Farewell,’ echoes the request that God remembers those who grieve and those whose wounds have not yet been healed. You can find lyrics, scores/books, mp3s, CDs for By the Waters of Babylon on the Celtic Psalms webpage (www.celticpsalms.com) Listen t...

With the antiphonal refrain “God’s love endures forever,” this Psalm, set to the sea shanty ‘Bold Riley,’ speaks of the story of the Hebrew peoples’ journey into the promised land and of God’s love that endures through the generations. Like a heartbeat, the refrain is a continual reminder that amid the dramas of our lives and of history, God’s loving pulse is the life force behind it all. You can...

Comparing harmony between kindred with the holy oil used for anointing in the temple of Jerusalem, the Psalm claims that such experiences of community bring fullness of life. Set to the Irish tune ‘A Fig for a Kiss,’ this paraphrase chooses the word “harmony,” which is a synonym for unity in the Hebrew and expresses the possibility of harmonious relationship amid diversity, rather than the homogen...

These Psalms, sung to ‘The Quiet Land of Erin,’ share hope in a forgiving God who is with us always, even when we are in the depths. Putting these two Psalms together back to back, this song connects the concept of forgiveness with the deep rest of an infant in its mother’s arms ~ loved unconditionally as a beloved child and held with tenderness and compassion. You can find lyrics, scores/books, m...

Set to the 18th-century Scottish air ‘MacPhearson’s Lament,’ this Psalm reflects on the comfort of God’s everlasting protection. It begins with the iconic image of the hills or mountains that remind us of where we can find our help, and it continues to unfold the image of God watching over us, never slumbering, offering us shade and shelter, and blessing us as we “come and go,” both now and foreve...

The writer of this Psalm praises God for responding mercifully to the cry of the suffering: in return, this individual offers to serve God faithfully. Set to the uplifting Irish melody ‘Galway Shawl,’ this is a Psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from suffering, a testament to the transformation that can come through God’s help, and a commitment to faithfulness in response. You can find lyrics,...

Testifying to God’s power to redeem us in times of trouble, this Psalm is set to ‘The Meeting of the Waters.’ It tells story after story of God redeeming people from various situations ~ wandering in deserts, imprisoned by misery and grief, stormy waters ~ and it continues to return to the encouraging message passed on from those who have experienced redemption: “From trouble, God will redeem us s...

Recounting the story of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, this song is set to the English tune ‘The Snow it Melts the Soonest’ proclaims God’s compassion despite the people’s continued rebellion and doubt. Telling the tale plainly and with a slightly ominous tone, this Psalm invites us to confess our own propensity to turn away, even when God has done grea...

This Psalm praises the God of creation and is based on an old version of the air ‘Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn,’ rediscovered by singer Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin, which marks the arrival of summer. It moves through various aspects of the natural world, considering how God is behind it all, and as the Psalm concludes, we are led into thankfulness for all of life’s “good things,” for life and breath...

This Psalm is sung to the air ‘I Wish My Love was a Red, Red Rose,’ and praises God’s compassion and mercy. A song that is sweet and simple in some ways also explores the theme of forgiveness (“far as the east is from the west, so far God removes our sins”) and the finitude of our lives (“though all our days are like the grass that flourishes, then blows”), it remains grounded in the steadfast lov...

This Psalm tells the story of one who is ill in mid-life and of the particular struggles of that experience. It is joined here with Irish words of the original song ‘Taim cortha o bheith im’Aonar mo lui,’ and the refrain “I am weary from being alone.” Both the Psalm and the Irish song contend with grief, loneliness, and the depth of life’s sorrows, yet they take some consolation from simply being...

‘Willy Taylor’ is the inspiration for this song of praise to a steadfast God. The Psalm tells the story of the Exodus, of the Hebrew people’s liberation from slavery, and of the joyful thanksgiving through which we can sing a new song, with the accompaniment of musical instruments and along with the rest of creation. You can find lyrics, scores/books, mp3s, CDs for Sing to the Lord on the Celtic P...